Dr. Who links and a Heroes plot bunny of the historical kind

[selenak]

Firstly, Dr. Who links, as certain song contests robbed as of an episode this Saturday:

Songs to the Tune of the Tardis: now that's more like it. Using song excerpts in fanfic (or for that matter on the show - nods to a certain beloved space show of mine - is a tricky, tricky thing, but here it works, and the characterisations of the various Doctor/Companion relationships and juxtapositions to the songs work perfectly.


I always have a soft spot for stories in which one of the later incarnations of the Doctor - i.e. Nine or Ten - encounters an Old Who companion. This week, there was a wonderful reply to the prompt at theatrical_muse, which was "Mommy/Mummy". As New Who watchers know, that word has a particular significance in two s1/27 episodes. The story that ensused from the prompt managed to use that particular adventure of the Ninth Doctor as background, but even more importantly managed to use one of the companions of the very First Doctor, Ian Chesterton, and let him a last meeting with the latest, Tenth Doctor. The result is infinitely moving and here.

(New Who only watchers: Ian and Barbara were, err, sort of kidnapped by the First Doctor in the pilot of the show. They were teachers investigating his granddaughter Susan. Also, the Doctor being an old man at the time, Ian was the young guy doing all the action stuff early on, and as with Mickey, the Doctor deliberately got his name wrong for a good while.)


The Noblest Romana is an excellent essay about the Time Lady Romana, companion to the Fourth Doctor. Comments by resolute and kangeiko have reminded me that New Who only watchers often aren't aware that the Doctor's "last of the Time Lords" status is a very new thing, a crucial change from the old show, and that there used to be not only a planet of them but several distinct on screen individuals running around. Aside from a certain arch nemesis, Romana was the most memorable of them, and if you want to find out more about her (or if you already know here and want to reminesce), check out the essay!

Also up: a great new vid covering all the incarnations of the Doctor, and his journey: Welcome to the Black Parade, by calapine.

***


Due to an unholy combination of different time zones and having to travel to Berlin tomorrow morning, there'll be a delay in my watching of tonight's Heroes episode. I can't decide whether this is a good thing or a bad thing, i.e. whether watching or having to wait to watch and try to avoid lj until then will make me more into a nervous wreck. Finale-approaching shows are not conductive to fannish health.

On the other hand, fellow fans are. Responding to Cadesama's post about the different kinds of dysfunctionality the Petrellis and the Winchesters display (mind you, not watching SPN I could only say something about the Petrelli part), I said that as the screwed-upness of the Petrellis is independent from super powers, they're characters who would actually work in a historical AU. cadesama suggested rome. kathyh, otoh, with whom I also talked about the subject, had the inspired idea of Renaissance Italy, with Nathan as a cardinal aiming for the Papacy, and getting Peter appointed as a Cardinal too even though Peter isn't a even priest (which wasn't unusual behaviour for power-playing cardinals aiming for the Papacy and trying to get their house advanced; nepotism ruled the day) and then, of course, Peter tries to reform everybody. Hanging out with every Giordano Bruno, Savonarola and Luther-in-training. Angela Petrelli is such a Renaissance type of pullstringer, too; no problem there. Some of the other characters and their problems aren't as easily transferable from their era. . For one thing, Renaissance nobility was very blasé about illegitimate children, up and including the clergy; the Borgias are just the most prominent example but by no means the only one. Before Rodrigo Borgia became Pope Alexander, there were several Popes who had their illegimate children around as well; it was the fact the Borgias were not Italians but Spanish that made it so galling everyone fumed about it. So the Renaissance Petrellis would have had no problem with Nathan openly acknowledging Claire from the start. It definitely wouldn't have had an impact on Nathan's election chances; on the contrary, he'd have tried to marry her to another Cardinal's offspring in order to get votes.. But most would work, and Renaissance!Isaac's paintings would of course illustrate it all.

You could even include superpowers, with Peter thinking they're a gift of god and Nathan thinking they're a sign of the devil, though then you'd run in danger of copying Neil Gaiman's 1602 universe too closely. Still. Wouldn't it be brilliant? Someone really should write that Renaissance AU.

Comments

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

I understand your love of New Who/Old Who mixes, I'm verymuch the same. Ian is one of my favorite companions, and I think that One's companions deserve a bit of time in the spotlight, and I don't just mean Susan, who tends to make appearances in flashback fics all the time.

I'm very glad you like the ficlet, though! It's wonderful to see people outside of the community (I don't actually know if you are outside the community, but, you know) reading along, too!

Might I also add? Linking my story in the same section as that absolutely amazing Black Parade video? Yeah, my ego's gonna be through the roof today. =)

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I write three tm muses (Darla and Connor of the Jossverse, Londo Mollari from Babylon 5) within the community, so I'm not exactly outside, but I'm consistently impressed with the quality of your writing and this time just couldn't resist wanting to get some non-tm-readers to appreciate it as well.

[almeda.livejournal.com]

I'm devouring New Who -- my PBS just started airing it about a month ago, so I've now seen through the first of the two eps involving the aliens who crashlanded the spaceship with the pig on Big Ben (Cliffhanger!) I'm enjoying that they kept the cheesy sensibility, even though 'cheap special effects' are better now than they were then, given the ubiquity of not-expensive CGI.

I've half-heard friends who watched them when they came out discuss the continuity changes (I like to think of it as the Whoverse's Crisis-on-Infinite-Earths reboot, though I have no leg to stand on in that analogy), but for the most part I'm unspoiled, and I'm enjoying watching it unfold. They do do a LOT of shout-outs to old continuity and old fans, without ever making it something people who never saw the old series feel bludgeoned with.

I know this because my husband never saw the old series, and he'll see me going, "HEE HEE HEE SONIC SCREWDRIVER FTW!!" and blink blankly.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

They do do a LOT of shout-outs to old continuity and old fans, without ever making it something people who never saw the old series feel bludgeoned with.

Yes, I love that as well - the new series is written in a way that works for newbies and old time fans alike...

[svilleficrecs.livejournal.com]

Mohinder could totally be an alchemist (all his hand waving "science" would probably sound better too), Niki/Jessica could be a schizo Courtesean, Hmmm, who else *thinks*

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Nicoletta the courtesan has a crossdressing alter ego (because the Renaissance had a thing for crossdressing), Jago the deadly assassin. *nods*

Matteo is a condottiere. Mr. Bennet could either work for one of the various Italian principalities, hoping to push their own candidate for the papacy, or for the Emperor (if we want a larger authority). But I still can't think of a reason why he originally would have to adopt Clara...

[almeda.livejournal.com]

They let Clara's father think both his mistress and his bastard burned to death, then took Clara to raise to use as leverage on him? Not shame leverage, but as an inside agent loyal to THEM when he finally finds out she survived and takes her in.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Oh, of course! Yes, that works.

[almeda.livejournal.com]

It ties in well with Claire-in-our-world's "He's my father, but (Mr. Bennet)'s my REAL dad." I bet if anyone forced her to choose between her loyalties, she'd throw over the Petrellis to save Mr. Bennet. At least Nathan, she would. Peter, she has more reasons to care about.

[svilleficrecs.livejournal.com]

Perhaps Clara's powers manifest early, and they want to kill her as devil-spawn? But she is spirited away to be raised in the countryside. *shrug*

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Actually, if Clara's powers manifest early, she makes perfect blackmail material for the competition. They fake her and her mother's death and give her to Signore Benedetto to raise, actually banking on the older Petrelli making it all the way to the conclave, and then using her as the ideal weapon - because while an illegitimate daughter is no problem, a daughter who is a witch is more than a problem, it could ruin him!

*rubs hands*

[svilleficrecs.livejournal.com]

And of course, the younger Petrelli son needs to meet Clara without knowing who she is.... Dude, there so needs to be a ficathon for this! (Unfortunately my knowledge of time period is limited to "Dangerous Beauty" and the Tennant Casanova, so I won't be much help)

[selenak.livejournal.com]

*nerdy nitpick by amateur historian alert*

Casanova, both as played by Tennant and in general, lived centuries later, during the rococo, which is another period altogether.

But yes, Pietro would definitely meet Clara and save her from the sinister Gabriele...

[svilleficrecs.livejournal.com]

"Casanova, both as played by Tennant and in general, lived centuries later, during the rococo, which is another period altogether."

Proving my point (that I am v.v. bad at european history) LOL.

Dude, I really want to see this AU now. You're evoll.

[gelliaclodiana]

I love the Renaissance Petrellis. And who cares if it echoes 1602 a bit here and there -- might as well steal from something good. (And perhaps Bennet might not have adopted Clara, inthis universe -- he might simply by the man in charge at the convent she was brought up in. Father figure, rather than father?)

What about Hiro and Mr. Nakamura and that whole side of things -- another family?

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Well, Hiro and Mr. Nakamura per se would fit, but not as Japanese - too exotic for the Renaissance. Depending on just when we'd set the AU, Hiro could be a moor from Granada, and his father some uncle of Boabdil's?

[almeda.livejournal.com]

They might be Russian. The Mysterious Wealthy East, after all ...

[wee-warrior.livejournal.com]

Hm. Will Nicoletta the courtesan be married to a hapless young moor, and will they have a son who can apparently converse with automatons?

And will there be Claudio, Pietro's gruff, yet fatherly friend who shares a dark past with Signore Benedetto?

[wee-warrior.livejournal.com]

Also, could it be that the plural of automaton is in fact automata?

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Claudio will actually be Klaus (accent!), a scholar from Wittenberg, and yes, he will share a past with Signore Benedetto.

Nicoletta's husband was framed by her alter ego Iago and languishes in prison, alas. The story even reached British shores, but of course they got it all wrong, as usual.

Automaton plural: hm, not sure, because the word is Greek, not Latin, and I only had Latin at school!

OH!

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I have it. Forget Wittenberg. Klaus Küng and Benedetto used to teach in Tübingen and be friends, until Benedetto was called to Rome to work for the Officium and then withdrew Klaus' teaching permission...

Re: OH!

[wee-warrior.livejournal.com]

Klaus Küng! Awesome. As is the plotbunny itself. Sadly, I know next to nothing of the Renaissance, so I can't give much inspiration...

Re: Automaton, plural of: dictionary.com allows both -tons, and -ta, so I guess I'm on the safe side.

Re: OH!

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I wonder whether only German Catholics will get the joke, though?

Re: OH!

[wee-warrior.livejournal.com]

I confess I had to look it up, but then again, I'm agnostic and I grew up/still live in the North West at that. (My father was Catholic, but not in any way "active.")

Re: OH!

[almeda.livejournal.com]

I didn't 'get' it, in the sense of understanding the reference, but it works for me as a generally-knowledgeable-about-history-and-Medieval-education kind of person.

(Former Catholic, general religion-geek, former SCAdian)

Re: OH!

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Explanation of joke. (http://www.glaubeaktuell.net/portal/journal/journal.php?IDD=1145842050).

But if it generally worked....

Re: OH!

[almeda.livejournal.com]

I've read fics where there are clearly in-jokes I'm not getting, where I'm being beat over the head with the joke (but not having it explained to me); a worldbuilding funny like this one probably will just be skipped/assumed-to-be-normal by those not getting it, while causing spittakes among those who do. Whichi s the right way to handle it, IMHO. Like the swordmaker being named 'Claremont'. :->

Re: OH!

[almeda.livejournal.com]

Having now clicked through ...

Um, that's in German. :->

Re: OH!

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Living in Bavaria, I have the advantage there.*g* (There was quite a lot about the Ratzinger-Küng backstory as old friends from Tübingen, before Ratzinger got appointed Cardinal, in the papers during the last papal visit, to refresh everyone's memories.)